tonight, president biden formally launches his campaign for re-election, warning americans that their bedrock personal freedoms are at stake, saying the country is still in the battle for the soul of america. his call to finish the job. former president trump firing back, blaming mr. biden for high inflation and the border crisis. we talk with voters in battleground pennsylvania the start of a new civil trial involving the former president the lawsuit by the woman who says he raped her years ago, an allegation he denies the fallout from fox news' dismissal of tucker carlson the new details on what led to his exit, and the conversations inside the murdoch family my exclusive one-on-one with the president of south korea.

what he said about reports the u.s. spied on south korean officials, rising nuclear tensions and relations with china the slow-moving disaster the severe flooding threat as snow melts much of yosemite park closed, as some areas along the mississippi are already under water. what doctors are calling one of the worst allergy seasons in decades why so many adults are suffering for the first time. and the remarkable life of an american original, singer, actor and civil rights activist, remembering the great harry belafonte. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt >> good evening and welcome, everyone. there are 560 days until the 2024 presidential election, and tonight the ingredients for a potential trump-biden rematch are falling into place following president biden's announcement today that he is in, officially running for a second term in office as he put it in an early morning video release, to finish the job. the president laying

out the stakes, taking aim at maga republicans, and warning our freedoms are at stake vice president harris figured prominently in the campaign roll-out, leaving no doubt the pair will run together again. but they will be running into headwinds, according to the latest nbc news poll, that finds little appetite among voters for a second biden run, or frankly, for another run by mr. trump. peter alexander reports. >> let's go, joe let's go, joe! >> reporter: tonight, president biden asking americans for another four years, making a pitch to union members in washington. >> on my watch, infrastructure has become a decade headline a decade >> reporter: earlier announcing another campaign in this video. >> this is not a time to be complacent that's why i'm running for re-election. >> reporter: highlighting his views on abortion, voting and lgbtq rights, while zeroing in on republican opponents who he never mentions by name. >> personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as americans

your maga extremists are lining up to take on those bedrock freedoms. >> reporter: and touting this theme >> let's finish this job. i know we can. >> reporter: still, our nbc news poll shows only 41% of americans approve of the job president biden is doing 54% disapprove the president's move setting up a possible rematch with former presidident trump,p, posting ththis responsnse. >> with susuch a calalamitous andnd failed presesidency, itit is almost inconceivable that biden would even think of running for re-election. >> reporter: 70% of americans say they don't want president biden to run for re-election, including most democrats but 60% of americans say they don't want mr. trump to run again either today in battleground pennsylvania, the critical philly suburbs, we found voters like small business owner dora raieta, exasperated by the possibility of another biden-trump showdown what do you make of that rematch >> a mess. a mess. >> reporter: why >> i think they both are very extreme

and i think we need someone that is kind of in the middle. >> reporter: cafe owner christine hick strongly supports president biden because she says he'll protect abortion rights. >> for my granddaughter, i want her to have choice it is upsetting to know she has less choices now than we did. >> reporter: but she is less supportive of vice president kamala harris, who is featured prominently in today's video >> i don't think i would vote for kamala if she was running for president. but she's -- you know, she supports him, and i think it's a good thing. >> reporter: independent larry largist, a painter, is frustrated by high inflation. you satisfied with the economy these days >> no, i'm really not. prices are going up. rent is going up food is going up my wages aren't going up. >> reporter: and echoing what polls say many are concerned about, president biden's age. he would be 86 at the end of a second term. >> i think he's getting a little long in the tooth he is getting a little old, you know. and i have som concerns on his mental faculties. >> reporter: but retired truck driver mike lowry tells us, he is not worried. >> i'm 72 years old. >> reporter: you look

good >> there you go. i rest my case joe looks good he looks good for an 80-year-old man. >> reporter: so, peter, we're not seeing the president out on the trail after this announcement. >> reporter: lester, biden aides tell us he is unlikely to hold campaign rallies for months instead, he wants to be seen focusing on his job as president lester >> peter alexander tonight, thanks. and in new york, donald trump is facing more legal challenges. this time in a civil trial that began today. it stems from an accusation of rape decades ago. laura jarrett is following it laura, what happened in court today >> well, lester, today a jury of nine was seated, and by this afternoon, already listening to opening statements first, vivid details from an attorney for e. jean carroll, the long-time advice columnist who accuses mr. trump of raping her in the dressing room of a department store in the '90s and defaming her more recently by saying she made the story up. trump denies the incident ever happened still unknown, whether

he will appear at this trial. he isn't required to and because it's a civil trial, he doesn't face any jail time but if the jury finds against him, trump could be forced to pay carroll damages. adding to his mounting legal troubles as this case is playing out mere blocks away fro where he was arraigned on criminal charges earlier this month this trial is expected to last just a week or two, lester. >> all right laura jarrett, thanks very much. new details tonight about what may have led to fox news' dismissal of tucker carlson, the top-rated host at fox and in all of cable news. stephanie gosk now with the latest. ♪ >> reporter: the show "tucker carlson tonight" is officially over and rebranded >> right now it's time for "fox news tonight" so let's get started. >> reporter: a source close to the matter tells nbc news that lachlan murdoch, rupert murdoch's son, and the head of fox news suzanne scott decided to get rid of carlson last friday. today a spokesperson for fox would not elaborate on the decision, but carlson was at the center of

potentially damaging developments for the network in recent months in march, a former fox producer who worked on carlson's show filed a lawsuit accusing the anchor and the network of a hostile work environment. >> there is a difference between having a thick skin and being subjected to prejudice and being subjected to misogyny day in and day out, and it wears on you. >> reporter: carlson has not responded personally to the claims fox news says the suit is riddled with false allegations. >> fox news has just paid out $787 million to settle the dominion lawsuit. >> reporter: citing multiple sources familiar with the situation, "l.a. times" reporter steve battaglio said the grossberg litigation played a role in carlson's departure. >> that means more court testimony, more depositions, more bad publicity, and possibly another big check. i think they want to avoid that and one way to do it was to start with getting rid of tucker. >> reporter: nbc news has not confirmed the reporting. beyond grossberg's

suit, text messages revealed through the now settled litigation with dominion voting systems expresses -- exposed carlson's frustration with management. in days following the election, audience numbers dropped more than a third, in part because fox called the state of arizona for joe biden. according to court documents, carlson texted we worked really hard to build what we have those expletives are destroying our credibility. it enrages me. now less than three years later, carlson is out of a job. >> they have lost big names before they've replaced them, and they haven't missed a beat in the ratings. >> reporter: changing an anchor does not necessarily mean changing the network stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york just breaking tonight, word of the killing of the mastermind of the deadly 2021 attack at kabul international airport which claimed the lives of 13 u.s. service members and more than 150 afghans during the chaotic u.s. withdrawal there. this according to three u.s. officials who say he was killed by the taliban earlier this month

in sudan, thousands of americans are still trying to escape from a war zone any way they can, with the u.s. planning at least for now no mass evacuations and a shaky cease-fire set to end richard engel has late details. >> reporter: the race for foreign nationals, including 16,000 american citizens to escape sudan is growing more urgent tonight as a three-day ceasefire between two warring generals is already breaking down. some evacuation flights did manage to depart, arriving in greece and italy a sasaudi ship evavacuated citizens from 12 countries, i including ththe united statates. but seats are few. so many are braving the roads. with the u.s. embassy evacuated, americans are largely left to try to find their own way out. we've been following american travel writer lakshmi parthasarathy who made it out of khartoum, relying on wits and the kindness of strangers.

>> yesterday i left khartoum, hitchhiked south. the city was complete mayhem when i left there were power cuts, no running water, no access to cash we saw villages that had clearly been devastated by the war. >> reporter: the capital is becoming more chaotic and dangerous. there is a late report tonight that a sudanese-american doctor has been killed, and the w.h.o. warns that a militia has taken over a lab containing deadly pathogens, including cholera, measles, and polio lester >> richard, thank you. president biden is set to hold a summit with south korea's president as they mark the 70-year alliance between the two countries. ahead of their meeting, i sat down with president yoon for an exclusive interview. tonight, south korean president yoon suk-yeol in the u.s., set to celebrate a 70-year alliance, but now facing a new test, that american intel leak with what appear to be intercepts of conversations between south korean officials.

i know washington and seoul have suggested that maybe these tapes were modified. but it sounds like the u.s. was spying on south korea. is there any other explanation? >> translator: lester, i also receive reports that there are things that are different from the facts about this incident. and i understand the investigation is going on by the u.s. government officials, and our security officials are closely consulting with our u.s. counterparts about this i believe this matter is no reason to shake the iron-clad trust supports the south korea and u.s. alliance because it is based on shared values like freedom >> do friends spy on friends? >> translator: generally speaking, i don't think that in the real world this is something that is prohibited in state affairs. the most important thing is the trust when you have that trust, you don't get it shaken. >> these intercepts, if they are what they appear, were conversations about ukraine.

have you changed your stance as to whether your country would be willing to supply lethal weapons to ukraine? and are you feeling pressure from the white house? >> translator: lester, i can tell you there is no such pressure. as for south korea, we are joining forces with the international community to uphold freedom and human rights, and we are providing assistance to ukraine therefore, if the time comes when we must also supply some lethal weapons to ukraine, when the situation on the battlefront changes, there won't be a situation of south korea turning away from the joint effort of the international community. >> i also asked about recent north korea missile tests. do you think that the u.s. is paying enough attention to deterring a north korean attack on the south >> translator: yes, definitely since my inauguration, we're continuing our consultations with the united states about ways to enhance the effectiveness of the u.s. extended

deterrents, and i can say that we're already making great strides in this realm. and in the past, when the threat was far away, maybe we might have some time, but now, now the threat is right at the front of our door >> he says the common goal -- >> translator: the important thing is that we have to make north korea never dare to resort to its nuclear weapons. >> then there is the flash point over taiwan, with fears growing of a possible chinese invasion you recently angered the chinese by suggesting that taiwan was really a global issue, much the way that north korea is, as opposed to something just between china and taiwan do you -- do you take back those words, or is that still your position >> translator: so the korean government's position toward the cross strait, it has been consistent. we believe the peace and stability around the taiwan strait is really important, and we cannot agree with

any attempts to change the status quo by force. >> part of my interview with president yoon we're back in 60 seconds with the flooding disasters unfolding across the country. parts of yosemite set to close some towns along the mississippi river are under water. and later, why so many adults are suffering with allergies, many for the first time

we're back with weather news in california, parts will close as this winter's historic snowpack starts to melt and could lead to flooding melting snow is already causing a similar disaster along the mississippi river where waters are rising maggie vespa reports >> reporter: up and down the mighty mississippi, historic forecasts of widespread flooding are creeping into fruition mcgregor, iowa, poised to see its highest river level since 1965 in st. paul,

minnesota, rushing waters overtake a nearby 70-year-old yacht club filling the pool near davenport, the water is already rising >> typically we see it slowly start to rise and so you're moving things here and there. this was we were at 8. i feel like we were at 11 and 11, 12 is when it starts to come into our home it just moved a lot quicker this time around >> reporter: the dennis family now forced to boat to and from home. you'll notice here in eastern iowa the river is flooding and streets are submerged amid a mostly dry forecast scientists say this looming flood event isn't so much about falling rain as it is about melting snow 6 to 18 inches of snowpack, scientists say, are rapidly melting in north dakota and northern minnesota, feeding the mississippi's headwaters the national weather service predicts river levels in minnesota will crest by mid- to late week. parts of iowa and illinois could rise until early next week. >> stay away from that water. don't drive around the barricades. >> reporter: davenport's mayor placing his faith in a

wall of sand-filled cubes used only for severe floods, which amid the climate crisis seem more common. >> all across the country, all across the world these things seem to be happening. >> reporter: tonight much of the midwest already declaring a disaster, leaving millions on edge maggie vespa, nbc news, davenport, iowa. still ahead, it's not just you allergy season is much worse. why so many more adults are getting hit and how to reduce your risk, coming up

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seasonal allergies are making more people absolutely miserable this year, and they're hitting a lot of adults for the very first time catie beck tells us what's behind the increase and how you can reduce your risk. >> reporter: new york schoolteacher kiera wilson spent her recent spring break feeling miserable. >> itchy throat. so much sneezing i actually had to buy allergy medicine for the first time. >> reporter: for the first time as an adult, wilson is struggling through allergy season >> this year is much, much, much worse. >> reporter: allergist dr. stanley fineman says he is hearing similar patient stories from first-time allergy fighters in their 30s and 40s. >> i saw one just now, in fact this morning, who was miserable. >> reporter: doctors say onset seasonal allergies are becoming more common because warmer temps are extending the window for pollen release >> this is kind of a pollen storm almost,

and that can really bring on more symptoms. >> reporter: so far in 2023, spring has been up to three weeks earlier in the southeast and more than four in the midatlantic and northeast. doctors say those who are suffering should check the air quality reports before going outside. try and keep windows and doors shut and seek testing for specific allergies because many treatments exist and while colds and allergies sometimes look alike -- >> the difference is itching. so people who have allergies tend to have a lot of histamine release causing itching in their nose, itching in their eyes. >> reporter: wilson says medicine is helping with hers, but still, a new battle she's fighting day to day. catie beck, nbc news up next, celebrating the incredible life of harry belafonte, the legendary king of calypso and civil rights crusader.

tonight we're celebrating the legendary harry belafonte, a groundbreaking entertainer whose passion for civil rights and

humanitarian causes transcended the stage and screen ♪ day-o day-o ♪ >> reporter: that sound etched in music history, but it was harry belafonte's mother who taught him how to really use his voice. >> she would say to me never go to bed at night knowing that you have spent a day in which you have done nothing to try to change injustice. >> reporter: born in harlem, raised in jamaica. at age 17, he enlisted in the navy during world war ii after the war, he turned to the stage. his star power quickly exploded, receiving a tony award for his broadway debut in 1953 then to hollywood. an academy award nomination for the film "carmen jones" just one year later. but in 1956, belafonte would become known as the king of calypso. ♪ come mr. tallyman ♪ >> reporter: his album "calypso would spend 31 weeks at the top of the chart. but his powerful voice transcended music, films, and the stage a civil rights champion, belafonte also marched alongside his friend and

confidante dr. martin luther king jr and supported human rights around the world, especially in africa ♪ we are the world ♪ >> reporter: in 1985, he gathered the biggest names in music to record "we are the world." >> people say when did you become an activist the day i was born. >> reporter: he was recognized with an honorary oscar for his humanitarian work, cementing egot status. >> to be rewarded by my peers for my work in human rights and civil rights and for peace, well, let me put it this way. it powerfully mutes the enemy's thunder. >> reporter: a life well lived a man who championed

for change harry belafonte was 96 years old. and that's "nightly news" for this tuesday thank you for watching, everyone i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night ♪ i had to leave a girl in kingston town ♪

. i'm raj mathai. next on "nbc bay area news tonight," the high-profile case already with high drama. the man accused of killing tech executive bob lee was in court but did not enter a plea. >> i shouldn't have any obligation to prove anything. yes, of course it's an uphill